Monday, November 13, 2017

Oscar Matute has been awarded 3rd Place Operator of the Year 2017 by the Florida Public Transportation Association (FPTA)!

A recent recipient of the Million Mile award, Operator Matute has been a HART Operator since September 30, 2002. In that time, he has driven over 1 million miles without an accident, and has received no absence occurrences, miss outs or infractions in more than two years!

We are extremely proud of Operator Matute and congratulate him on this well-deserved recognition.

FPTA is an association that represents all 37 Florida transit agencies, all of varying sizes and modes. The award is based upon quality of service, attendance, and overall work record. HART operators are truly among the best of the best!

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

HART Chief
Executive Officer Katharine Eagan will depart the agency after nearly eight years
of service, leaving behind a legacy of innovation and a strong foundation for
future growth.

"Katharine Eagan has done an outstanding job running Hillsborough County's
transit agency," said HART Board Chair and County Commissioner Lesley
"Les" Miller. "We are deeply grateful for her leadership and
proud of the many strides we made as an agency during her time as HART CEO.
Eagan helped lead a new era for HART which is cutting edge, fiscally responsible, and customer focused.
Efforts that have earned her the respect of many in the Tampa Bay
community."

Eagan joined HART as its Chief of Service Development in 2009. During her tenure,
from 2010 to 2015, ridership increased over 20% and farebox recovery increased
over 25%.

Since taking the helm as CEO, Eagan has worked with the HART Board of Directors
to balance the Authority's budget, improve efficiencies, implement innovative
transit solutions, and enhance the overall customer experience. HART has
greatly expanded public-private partnerships with entities such as MegaBus, Red
Coach, Coast Bike Share, Yellow Cab, and TransDev, and HART is continuing to
pursue partnerships that provide travel options beyond traditional buses.

In
November 2016, HART partnered with Innovation Place and various sponsors to add
four Tesla X model vehicles into the HART HyperLINK program. Donations from
these sponsors paid for the entire cost of placing these all-electric vehicles
into service in the University Area.

Recently,
HART selected Stantec/Coast Autonomous team to provide Autonomous Mobility
Services for the Marion Street Transitway. The Autonomous Shuttle coming to the
Marion Street Transitway in early 2018 is funded by the Florida Department of
Transportation (FDOT) and will be the first implementation in the United States
of a driverless transit vehicle on open public streets.

"The agency's future is bright, its leadership is strong and HART is
devoted to delivering best-in-class transit services that connect many
communities throughout Hillsborough County," said Eagan. "What HART
has been able to achieve in the last three and a half years has been a
collective effort reflective of the dedication of the entire HART
team."

With a long history of accomplishments and accolades, Ms. Eagan was awarded the
Florida Diversity Council's 2016 Powerful and Influential Women award and WTS
2016 Woman of the Year by Women in Transportation Seminar. She was a finalist
for the Tampa Bay Business Journals' Businesswoman of the Year award in 2014
and 2016 and the winner in 2016 in the Economic Development category.

Eagan
will be taking on a transit leadership role at Port Authority of Allegheny County in Pittsburgh, Pa.

For roughly a year, HART riders have been able to check emails, stream music or crush candy on
their commute thanks to free WiFi on all fixed-route buses. And now, TECO Line Streetcar passengers will be able to leave their mobile data worries behind with FREE high-speed WiFi, while on board!

In addition to on board buses and streetcars, FREE WiFi has also expanded to HART transit and transfer locations:

Marion Transit Center (MTC) - 1211 N. Marion St

University Area Transit Center (UATC) - 13110 N. 27th St

Netp@rk Transfer Center - 5003 N. 56th St.

Northwest Transfer Center 9325 W. Waters Ave

The process is the same as on a HART bus. To
connect to HART WiFi, go to Settings > WiFi. Then, turn on WiFi, if
it isn't already turned on. Your device will automatically search for
available WiFi networks. Next, tap the name, HART-Patrons-OTC WiFi
Network to access the free service. Please be courteous to your
neighbors, and wear earbuds when watching videos or listening to music.

WiFi is actually a piece of a bigger puzzle at HART. Ultimately, this
roll-out of WiFi technology will be the foundation of the upcoming
smart card program, where passengers will be able to use their smart phones and
dedicated account based cards to travel not only the HART system, but
throughout the Tampa Bay region.

In addition to the Streetcar and HART buses, free WiFi will be installed on HARTFlex and HARTPlus vehicles in the near future as well.

Connect to WiFi in 3 easy steps!

It's another way that HART keeps pace with your busy
life. Stay productive on-the-go and let us do the driving! The expansion
of WiFi is yet another reason for choosing HART, whether someone is
going to work, to school or to the store.

If you have any questions or comments about our WiFi service,
please contact Customer Service at (813) 254-HART (4278).

Wherever you're heading, HART Takes You There.

* Please note that the WiFi signal is shared with other
customers, so at busy times, your connection may be slower than normal.